NBA venturing down predictable path

It looks as though the 2012-2013 NBA season will move along in predictable fashion.

Aside from Denver, who lost its first two games against an Orlando team eager to make waves in the post-Dwight era and a revamped 76ers squad, everything happened the way I expected.

The Lakers showed how age will play a preva lent role this season, losing their first three games by a combined 28 points. Steve Nash is already riding the pine thanks to a leg injury sustained against the Blazers. And Howard looks, for lack of a better word, out of tune. For the purple and gold faithful, I say relax. Or, in Bryant's words, "Shut up!" The media will make LA's situation seem much more grim than it really is. The reality, however, is that the Lakers, as Bryant so eloquently put, need time to work out the kinks. I still don't see them rising high enough to reach a championship, but I don't see Bryant falling below a fourth playoff seed either.

Moving on (because ESPN and SI have al ready bludgeoned this topic to death), Utah pro vided its annual look-how good- we-can-be tease before dropping a should have- been-easy victory against Anthony Davis' unibrow. I know it's only two games into the sea son, but unless the Jazz can man up and win on the road this season might end up more frus trating than initially thought for Jazz fans.

Speaking of these two aforementioned teams, the Lakers visit Utah this week in what will surely be an epic contest on Wednesday. I fully expect the Jazz to win that game, if only because LA's pro ductivity drops to mi nus- 50 once its bench steps on the court, where as the Jazz's ability to score amplifies by about 1,000 on their home court. Elsewhere in the NBA, Miami looked just as formidable as I imagined. I'm not putting much stock into New York's Friday night blowout victory. That was a gimme. And a generous one at that, especially considering the natural disaster that devastated the east coast last week. I think the world entire would have vilified Mi ami even more had they won following Melo's impassioned pre-game speech.

That's not to say New York lacks firepower.

That team is stacked. But Miami has no weakness es. So, there you go.

I'm both disappointed and enthralled by OKC this year. James Harden fled to Houston in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

The Thunder responded by losing a well-fought match-up against San Antonio, thanks to Tony Parker's late game hero ics. OKC looked out of sync down the stretch and scored just 18 points in the fourth quarter.

I wonder if the Thun der brass regret not re signing Harden right about now ? after the man dropped a combined 82 points in his first two games with the Rockets.

Durant and Co. will weather the storm, but I wonder if they're still deep enough to make another championship run. It'll take a tremen dous effort from Kevin Durant and Russell West brook to reach the top of a very stacked western conference. Yeah, Hard en was that good.

As for San Antonio, Parker, per usual, looked great, Duncan did his thing and sophomore stud Kawhi Leonard showed why he was a mid-round steal in last year's draft (he went 15 th in the first round). They will com pete, as they always do, though a championship feels far from certain.

I've still got my money on the Clippers to take the west. They are a team with athleticism, a nice combo of youth and veter ans and stunning depth.

Chris Paul - not Carlton from Fresh Prince - remains the best point guard in the NBA (and also my fantasy team's highest scorer). Blake Griffin, while one dimen sional, still packs a wal lop; and how about DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford? The Clippers have six or sev en guys who can net dou ble digits every night.

Put it this way: It took a monster 40-point per formance from Bryant just to keep the game close when the Clippers ousted the Lakers on Friday. And they still lost by 10.

Get used to it folks.

Barring some horrible injury or mid-season trade, this is the course the NBA will follow for the rest of the season.

That's not a bad thing, unless you love Toronto.

Or unless you're a Jazz fan. Or unless you love anyone not named Le-Bron.

Email Jeff Ames at james@thespectrum.com.

ADVERTISEMENT

Most Popular

Most Commented

More Headlines

Most Viewed

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

NBA venturing down predictable path

It looks as though the 2012-2013 NBA season will move along in predictable fashion.Aside from Denver, who lost its first two games against an Orlando team eager to make waves in the post-Dwight era